


In It to Win It

by Nevcolleil



Category: Myron Bolitar - Harlan Coben
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 05:09:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14663969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nevcolleil/pseuds/Nevcolleil
Summary: What would Win do, in his position?Besides, obviously, kill everyone.





	In It to Win It

They don’t have a lot of options. Win is in there, unarmed. He’s good - scary good - but even Win can’t hold off half a dozen armed men (with training) forever. Especially not while wounded and bound. He may be Myron’s Superman, but he’s not- Well. Superman.

Myron and Esparanza stare at the door to Hell from their hidey hole across the street, inside a vacant tenement, through a gap between the plywood boards nailed up over the tenement’s front windows.

“I don’t know what to do,” Myron announces, ever the cheerleader. He doesn’t know what to do. It’s exactly this kind of last-minute, barring-all-miracles impossible scenario that Myron turns to Win for rescue from. Now Win is the one in need of rescue. And what is Myron going to do?

“What would Win do?” Esparanza asks. They are like minds.

“Walk through that door and kill everybody,” Myron says without hesitation. He leaves out details. Win would whistle as he did it. Or maybe hum a catchy tune, unless he was in a hurry or irritated about something; possibly about having to walk into an abandoned building and kill everybody.

‘Honestly,’ Myron can hear Win say in his head, ‘An abandoned factory with boards on its windows? How clever. I’d ought to kill you all twice for being cliché.’

Myron doesn’t think he could pull off that line quite so smoothly. The stuttering and peeing of his pants would probably kill the drama.

“Okay. So how do we get through that door to do the same?” Esparanza continues. Tough as nails, no nonsense Esparanza. Myron loves her all gung-ho and direct, but-

“Uh- When did the kill everybody option become okay for us?” Myron asks. He is more or less obligated to bring it up. When it is and when it is not “okay” to kill someone has long been a point of contention between the two of them, and between the two of them and Win, and between each of them and Win separately. Esparanza is generally of the mind that killing goes too far to fit any crime. So-

“When Win became the guy that’s gonna die if we don’t kill everybody,” Esparanza says plainly, a little tension in her voice. Like she’s pissed at Myron for even having to ask.

Fair enough. “But-”

“Look, Myron. Win-” She blinks. Whatever she was going to say, she doesn’t. Instead her eyes soften (Myron doesn’t understand why they always do that when Esperanza’s talking about him and Win. They’re her friends. They’re her, apparently, “disgustingly cute” gay friends, who happen to be “disgustingly cute” in love with each other. They’re not kittens.) Her eyes soften and she says, “Win would do it for you. He’s done it before, Myron.” Esparanza’s voice is soft, too. Somber. Myron doesn’t like it. “You aren’t willing to do the same for him?”

Willing. Myron would set that building aflame and lay down in the fire if it got Win out alive, but he thought they’d decided that this isn’t a healthy attitude to have about a loved one. He shouldn’t want to kill twelve men to get to Win, simply because they dared try to separate them. Myron isn’t sure he should have Esparanza’s encouragement to go as kill-crazy on Win’s behalf as Win has often gone on Myron’s (not that anyone can go as kill-crazy as Win). 

Then, again- Win. Is in that building. With those twelve men. Who could kill him. Who the fuck cares about healthy, and why aren’t they shooting already?

“Just asking,” Myron says. And he smiles. 

Esparanza’s lips quirk up at the end. “Also?” she adds, “Win’s not leaving me alone to deal with what’s left of you if he dies. So he’s gotta walk outta there. Make sure your safety’s off.” Together they’ve divvied up the “emergency backup” weapons they’d found in Win’s car - four handguns, three knives, a smoke bomb, and garrote wire. They tossed the garrote wire - too Win for either of them. 

“Yes, ma’am,” Myron responds.


End file.
